Easy Pose (a)

Easy Pose with Forward Bend (b)

Easy Pose (sukhasana). Sit with shins crossed, left in front of right (a). Exhale and fold your torso forward over your legs into Easy Pose with Forward Bend (b). Hold for 5 breaths. Inhale, lift up, and swing your left leg straight back behind your pelvis.

Modified One-Legged King Pigeon with Backbend (a)

One-Legged King Pigeon with Forward Bend (b)

Downward-Facing Dog (c)

Modified One-Legged King Pigeon (eka pada raja kapotasana). Position your right heel just in front of your left hip, with your right knee just a little outside the line of the right side of your hip. Align the front of your pelvis as parallel as possible to the front of your sticky mat. Support your raised torso by pressing your hands into the floor (a). Walk your hands forward, release your neck and head, and hold for 5 breaths (b). Then move your right leg back, tuck your back toes under, and move into Downward-Facing Dog (c). Pedal your legs one at a time for 30 seconds to a minute. Then set your knees on the floor, cross your shins, right in front of left, and repeat Easy Pose, Cross-Legged Forward Bend, and One-Legged King Pigeon on the opposite side, ending in Downward-Facing Dog.

Seated Spinal Twist (a)

Ankle over Knee Pose with a Forward Bend (b)

Bound Angle Pose (c)

Wide-Knee Squat (d)

Standing Forward Bend (e)

Downward-Facing Dog (f)

Mountain Pose (g)

Seated Spinal Twist (ardha matsyendrasana). From Downward-Facing Dog, step your right foot forward into a lunge and slide your left knee to the floor outside of your right foot. Sit down between your heels (if your buttocks don’t rest comfortably on the floor, use a block for support) with your right foot pressing firmly on the floor to the outside of the left thigh. Turn to the right and wrap your left arm around the right leg, hugging the thigh to your belly in Seated Spinal Twist (a). Hold for 5 breaths and then lower your right knee toward the floor, positioning your ankle just outside your left knee and come into Ankle over Knee Pose (svastikasana) (b). If this position is too difficult, sit in Easy Pose. Stay forward for 5 breaths. Then inhale, bring the torso up to sitting, slide your right foot off your left knee, and press the soles of your feet together, knees to the floor, in Bound Angle Pose (c). Hold for a few breaths, then lift your knees together, put your feet on the floor, and push up into Wide-Knee Squat (malasana) (d). Touch your inner feet together (or position them as closely together as you can manage), widen your knees, and drape your body forward between your legs for 5 breaths. Then lift your hips and slowly straighten your legs into Standing Forward Bend (e), knees straight, kneecaps actively pulled up toward the pelvis. If your hamstrings are tight or if there is strain in your lower back, bend your knees slightly. Hold for 5 breaths and walk back to Downward-Facing Dog (f). Repeat these six poses on the second side starting with Seated Spinal Twist. Come to stand in Mountain Pose (g).

Lord of the Dance Preparation

Lord of the Dance Preparation (natarajasana). Bend your right knee, grip your right ankle with the right hand, and draw your heel as close to your buttock as possible, knee pointed to the floor. This will release your quadriceps and your psoas muscle. Stretch your left arm up. Open and close your jaw and move it side to side. Hold for 5 breaths. Switch sides. When both feet are back on the floor, take a wide step out to the right.

Warrior II

Warrior II (virabhadrasana II). Turn your left toes in 15 degrees, your right toes out 90 degrees. Inhale with your arms parallel to the floor and bend your right knee to 90 degrees, making sure to position it over the ankle. Chant om 3 times to keep your mind focused and your jaw supple. Repeat on the opposite side, chant om again, then walk your feet together and step to the front of your mat. Warrior poses promote courage and strength.

Mountain Pose with Lion

Mountain Pose with Lion Pose, face only (tadasana with simhasana). Stand in Mountain Pose, then bend your knees slightly and press your hands on your thighs. Open your mouth and roar like a lion, sticking out your tongue to release tension in your jaw and pent-up energy in your belly. Repeat 3 times. Lion Pose has a host of beneficial effects, such as stimulation of the thyroid and improved blood circulation. It has always helped me roar away shame and other emotional stagnation.

Sun Salutation A Mountain Pose (a)

Arms Overhead (b)

Standing Forward Bend (c)

Four-Limbed Staff Pose (d)

Upward-Facing Dog (e)

Downward-Facing Dog (f)

Standing Forward Bend (g)

Reverse Swan (h)

Mountain Pose (i)

Sun Salutation A (surya namaskar A). Stand in Mountain Pose (a), then inhale and reach your arms overhead (b). Exhale into Standing Forward Bend (c). Inhale, bend your knees, and look forward; exhale, step or jump back to Four-Limbed Staff Pose (chaturanga dandasana) (d). If it isn’t possible for you to support yourself resting only on your hands and balls of the feet, bend your knees to the floor, then flip to the tops of your feet, and on an inhale, move your chest through your arms into Upward-Facing Dog (e), then exhale to Downward-Facing Dog (f). Focus your mind on 5 cycles of breath. At the end of 5 breaths, bend your knees and walk or jump forward to Standing Forward Bend (g). Inhale, lift your arms up into a Reverse Swan (h), and come back to Mountain Pose (i). Repeat Sun Salutation A 3 to 5 times. The rhythm of this sequence is important and helps to calm the nervous system. After the final sequence, stay in Downward-Facing Dog, then lower your knees to the floor.

Hero Pose

Hero Pose (virasana). Bring your knees together and sit back between your feet (if your hips don’t come to the floor, sit on a block). Stay for 5 breaths and make a buzzing sound like a bee on your exhale, creating a vibration in your jaw. Cross your shins and sit down behind your feet.

Reverse Tabletop

Reverse Tabletop (purvottanasana). With your knees bent and your feet and buttocks on the floor, place your hands six inches behind you. Then inhale and lift your buttocks and torso as high as you can into Reverse Tabletop. Keep your head in a relatively neutral position. Lower down with an inhale, then lift up and lower down twice more. Sit back into . . .

Easy Pose

Easy Pose (sukhasana). Sit with your shins crossed, left in front of right, and perform Shining Skull (kapalabhati), a cleansing practice (kriya) that serves as a preparation for conscious breathing (pranayama). Breathe in only through your nose; each exhale will be a sharp burst, with the inhale a passive “rebound.” Repeat rhythmically for 3 rounds, doing 9 cycles of Shining Skull. Take 3 natural breaths between rounds. Then lie down on your back.

Final Relaxation

Final Relaxation (shavasana). Strap your legs mid-thigh with a belt and place a weight on the top of your thighs. (If someone is antsy, sandbags or weights on the thighs can be calming.) Use an eye pillow to still darting eyes. Open and close your mouth and wiggle your jaw or massage it. Place your arms alongside your body, palms facing up. If your eyes continue to move restlessly under the closed lids, and/or if your breath becomes rapid, remove the weight and eye pillow. Stay in the pose for 7 minutes. If anxiousness persists, sit up in cross-legged meditation.

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Yoga gives us a community, but it also gives us a link to our true selves (call it our soul, or our spirit). It is this connection that brings us to the innate beauty and love that our cravings obscure. In addition to working on our addictive habits one day at a time, we can work on them one pose at a time.